Monday, March 25, 2013

A subject not often thought about until it's too late is camping appliance safety. Something that you, my dear readers, will come to appreciate is the fact that Outdoor Dave and all of his friends take outdoor safety VERY seriously, and that includes the proper setup, use, and storage of your propane camp appliances!

Several years ago now, while camped by the river at Garner State Park in Texas, I had the unfortunate chance to witness a thankfully small flareup / blowout of a propane stove connection. Thankfully the stove was connected via a riser pipe / hose to a 20 pound take with a shutoff valve, and the owner had the presence of mind to shut off the gas NOW. By the time the gas was off, the damage was done, and fabrics / pot holders and the like had to be doused, and the kids in camp had a good scare. It could have been much, much worse, and it could have been prevented!

Most people read the owners guides / manuals for their camp gear once, maybe twice, then file it away and forget about many of the important details. In this case, the detail the stove owner forgot about was the procedure for checking newly established propane fittings and appliances for gas leaks before igniting!

To test your appliances for gas leaks you will need.

Smallish spray bottle. A large bottle isn't needed, but you can certainly recycle an old Window cleaner bottle if you have one.

Soap and water. I like to use liquid dish soap because it produces gobs of bubbles. Use just 6 or so drops of liquid soap in an 8 oz spray bottle, then fill with water.

Once your connections are made, and all possible ignition sources are verified eliminated, with the appliance valves closed, turn on the flow of gas from the tank about 1/4 turn, and spray the soapy water mixture to cover the joint where any 2 components like the tank and riser, riser and hose, hose and appliance, appliance valves etc... meet. Also spray down flexible parts that can wear and get pin holes like the hose, and any parts that move like valves, or hard lines with swivels etc... Specifics will vary depending on your appliance and supply configuration. You are looking for any bubbling. Bubbles indicate a leak that must be fixed prior to ignition.

If you are using disposable bottles with no shut off valve, simply screw the bottle to the appliance with the appliance valve fully closed, and the rest of the procedure is exactly the same as it is for users of large remote bottles.

Depending on your appliance, you may be able to get things sealed for example, an appliance / tank connection gasket made of cork and even some rubber ones can be made to seal by lightly moistening with vegetable oil.

Now that you know how to be safe with your propane appliances outdoors, go, and find your own "road less traveled"!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

I am not sure if it is the nostalgia of years, and trips gone by, the warm crackle of the embers of the campfire itself, the competition of young boys and girls, trying to have theirs come out best, even if those young boys and girls have grandchildren of their own. But there is something downright magic about the process itself of toasting marshmallows on a campfire, or BBQ pit. It's a gut feeling, and an anticipation of something very special that brings an outing to life!

Now as we all know, toasted marshmallows taste marvelous right off of the cooking utensil, no matter if it is a roasting fork, or even just a stick with a sharpened end that has been pressed into service. But no matter how good that is, there is, for many people, dare I say most, an ultimate objective for toasting those marshmallows and getting the inside all warm and gooey, and that is of course...

S'MORES!

Now I have had S'mores made many different ways, including special flavored marshmallows, specialty chocolates etc... But for me anyway, my favorite method for S'mores is still one of the simplest, and the original S'mores I was introduced to as a kid in the Boy Scouts at one of the Scout camps in Oregon.

#1. Get your fire down to coals. An open roaring fire will either catch the marshmallow on fire, or not cook it at all. Plentiful glowing embers allow you gentle even heat...
#2. Skewer your marshmallows, 2 or 3 at a time onto either a sharpened stick, or a camp roasting fork. And of coarse toast those things to a beautiful golden brown all the way around. The outside just taking on a slight crispness, and the inside almost flowing...
#3. Add these to a Cinnamon Graham Cracker, top with regular Hersheys bar, and another cracker. Let the marshmallow melt the chocolate somewhat, and enjoy...

I can still recall sitting around that campfire with sharpened sticks, complete with impaled Marshmallow, trying to get it just right, in a competition with my friends and classmates...

Which leaves the question, what is your favorite way of making and enjoying S'mores? Do you have any special S'mores memories that you'd care to share? If so please feel free to leave a comment, and then go make some S'mores!

Once you are done with those S'mores, go, and find your own "road less traveled"!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

A few years ago I had the honor of taking a hiking trip with my mother that we never could when I was a kid. We hiked Mount Mazama in Oregon. Now Mount Mazama is known for it's most prominent feature, but I would cheat you if I didn't let you into the whole process before we get to the eventual reward of visiting that great feature...

It was summertime, July to be specific, and we arrived on the mountain in the late afternoon. I had carried all of the camping gear I needed in a single now considered ancient Coleman Peak 1 external frame backpack on my trip from Texas. That old Peak1 pack is a tried and true testimony to the quality that was true of most if not all camping gear vendors back in the 80s and 90s. The pack was huge, featuring a cavernous interior volume, and plentiful attachment points on the outside of the pack for everything needed for a weeks vacation touring the pacific northwest in varying conditions. While heavier than ultralight internal frame packs, the external frame did such a great job of distributing the weight inside the pack that it was a pleasure to carry, even with loaded water bottles, and liter bottles of white gas.

The summer heat that was so oppressive to me in the Texas coast was completely absent. In its place was a variety of temps ranging from pleasantly warm 70 or so degree F highs, but the shocker for me came in the middle of the night.

During the day, Mom and I hiked around the mountain, several well marked nature loop trails from the state campground offered good vistas, and a chance to share thoughts on the state of things, and enjoy the beauty of the location together. At one point along the hike I heard a group of college age hikers down one switchback from where we were, they were moving easily along the trail, and having a great time. What shocked me was the elevation gain. I hadn't realized, well honestly I hadn't paid attention too much to the up and down stuff. My day pack had everything I needed to get us out of trouble if I had to, but thankfully, all of it, well all of it except for a couple of granola bars, made it back to camp with us!.

If you look closely you can see the pale ribbon that is the trail at the switchback.

As the day wore on, the years since I had moved on from home, to college, to career just seemed to disappear with each telling of how this, that or the other family member is doing. And retelling of years past when the grandparents were still alive. But along with the years, daylight was also disappearing, thankfully we made it back to camp with some of the most beautiful light streaming above and through the trees...

The play of light and shadow is beautiful on Mt. Mazama at dusk.

Mom and I shared a tent, my Sierra Designs Sirius 3, 3 man backpacking tent. I used my Large 3.5" thick Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress, and my Slumberjack ultralight 35 degree sleeping bag. Now when camping in cool / cold weather I always sleep in sweats. So I was nice and toasty overnight, I had the foot box vent wide open and the hood open. This tent kept heat in exceedingly well.

Sadly, as the night wore on, one or two too many campfire hot chocolates were wanting to be let out, so I climbed out of my sleeping bag, and slipped on my boots, unzipped the tent and received a wonderful surprise.

White, fluffy, and peaceful, a layer of snow coated the entire campground, including the fly / vestibule of the tent. Moonlight was plentiful, and there was almost absolute silence. I step out, zip the tent up and walk over to take care of business.

On my way back, I could just, well feel the pressures of work, mortgage, family relationships, the whole thing, the good, the bad, and the ugly as it were, just felt like they were on a different planet. Replaced by absolute calmness, absolute clarity, and absolute peace... I stopped, brushed the snow off of a log, and just sat and soaked it all in...

The next day required automotive travel. We didn't have a backcountry permit, so hiking from the campground to our destination wasn't an option then. So up the windy, narrow mountain road, praying no large trucks tried passing us the other way...

I must admit, okay brag, that the view at the final destination is well worth it.

The crystal clear blue water has a purple / gray hue in the photo merely due to the cloud cover of the day. The steep cliffs into the caldera were simply amazing...

A more recognizable view, the island seen in the lake is Wizard Island. have you guessed the name of this feature yet?

If you guessed Crater Lake, you got it spot on.

It is trips such as this one, and many others with stories yet to be told, that keep me wanting to go out again, to find out where that trail goes, to paddle down that bayou just a little further, to see what is just around that corner. What beautiful secrets for the eye, the heart, and the soul are out there hidden from the view of the masses?

No matter what mountains, beaches, deserts, plains, or what have you are available to you, I encourage you to go out, and to go, seek out that beauty, and find your own "road less traveled"!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

As we continue to grow, and develop our offerings for Wildersport Outdoors we felt it was time to venture into the online arena of blogging to share with you our experiences and perspectives on enjoying the great outdoors! And what better time to do that then when spring is literally just a few mere days away?

For those in northern climates, the weather will start warming up, the heavy coats will go up into closets and attics for their long summers nap, and the camping gear gets dug out of storage. For those of us lucky enough to live in the south, this is prime camping weather right now. The days are warm and sunny, with more than ample daylight to give a great, full day of outdoor activity, and crisp cool evenings mean friends and family around a campfire won't be toasted faster than the marshmellows. It is indeed a great time to be alive!

So load up your day pack, or even go all out and pack up your camping or backpacking gear, and get ready to head out away from the confines of work, or school. You never know what kind of beauty and wonder you will found out there! So go, and find your own "road less traveled"!